A Song Without Words
by Took-Baggins
Summary: A lone meerkat arrives at the oasis. Who is she? And how is she connected to Timon? first TLK fic, reviews appreciated!
1. Day One

A/N hey everyone! I've finally gotten around to starting my first Lion King fic! I know I haven't shown my face here much, but that's cause I was finishing up a Lilo and Stitch fic (and also, my computer won't let me review). Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this _at least _half as much as I've enjoyed yours! (Oh trust me, I have. I've also had to change a few names before putting this up, seeing as they've already been used...) but enough of my blathering! Onward!

Disclaimer: you smart readers already know what I'm going to say here, don't you? I own no one. Well, except for Hadiya and Pazu, whenever he shows up. They're mine! Okay, now we can continue...

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It's amazing how quickly the landscape can change. Hadiya was dragging herself across dry, cracked ground, ahead of her was a lush oasis. She thought she was seeing things, after all she'd been wandering for days, but she hoped this time that it was real. She squinted against the sunlight sparkling on the distant waterfalls, teasing her. She knew, just like all the other water holes she had found it would all conveniently disappear just as she reached it.

_If _she reached it. That was a big "if". She felt that she could barely move and her vision was beginning to blur. She could see shapes moving toward her, real shapes. She rubbed her eyes, double-checking that she was still awake as the shapes came into focus. An older meerkat was coming right at her, another younger male following behind. She stopped, thinking vaguely of how awful she must look, but she couldn't do anything about it now. The pair stopped a few steps away from her and the older male squinted at her.

"You look terrible." Sure was nice of him to point it out. He nodded to the younger one. "Flinchy, I do believe our friend may need some assistance." Flinchy (who seemed totally relaxed, whatever his name may imply) stuck out a hand, not realizing Hadiya was a little too dazed to comprehend. He chuckled a bit apologetically. "Sorry, heh..." Hadiya ignored him, barely noticing him pick her up and start off towards the oasis.

x x x

"Oh come on now, you can't give us the silent treatment forever." They were standing in the middle of a clearing, avoiding the crowds that wandered most of the oasis. Osono smiled warmly at Hadiya, but the young girl merely stared silently at her feet. Motherly by nature, Osono put an arm around her, casting a brief glare at an impatient Max. "Could you at least tell me your name?" Hadiya shook her head, undecided of whether she should say anything. Sure, they seemed friendly enough, but she felt so uncomfortable being around someone again that she wasn't sure if she could get her mouth to work. Osono didn't pressure her; instead she released her, turning to face a warthog approaching across the clearing.

Max rolled his eyes, muttering something about 'idiots'. Osono ignored him and called out to him.

"There you two are! I was beginning to think you wouldn't be coming by." Hadiya stared up at him in awe (he seemed very big) Pumbaa smiled and lowered his head, depositing a half-asleep, but fully irate Timon before them. "Timmy..."

"Muhfwa..." Timon opened an eye and rolled over, but Osono pulled him to his feet anyway. "_What!?_ What's so important that it can't wait?"

Osono introduced them to Hadiya as best she could. "This is my son Timon and his friend Pumbaa." Hadiya lifted a hand in a halfhearted wave, the guys doing likewise. "Dear, if you don't mind, Timmy's been here a lot longer than I have and I'd like him to show you around." Timon moaned as Hadiya nodded.

x x x

"Of all the rotten luck. In a place this size you'd think we'd be able to find at least a foot of unoccupied space..." the three of them were plodding through the jungle, heading nowhere in particular. Hadiya was listening avidly, as she had been the last hour or so. Every so often she'd run a hand through her brown hair (it was a little longer than was usual) and pause to look at a beetle or a pool of water. Timon seemed to be annoyed by her silence at first, although he seemed to be starting to enjoy having someone who wouldn't interrupt him. By the time they finally found a spot for themselves he had told her half of his life story (it was amazing how he could remember every bug he'd ever eaten).

His mouth began to slow down once they were settled comfortably in the grass. Hadiya was starting to like this place. She felt so welcome here. Even though she'd only met four people she thought of them as friends. They seemed to like her.

'_But they don't know me...'_ she thought. _'And they won't if I don't talk to them.'_ She still wasn't crazy about the idea. She'd never been a talker and usually let others do it for her, but now it seemed she couldn't get away with it. If she was going to stay here, she had to.

"Um...guys?" she was surprised at the meekness in her own voice, it was barely more than a whisper. She was also surprised that Pumbaa had burped the same moment she had opened her mouth. A little annoyed, she cleared her throat to make sure it would work. "Thanks for showing me around, guys." It wasn't what she'd hoped, but it at least got their attention. Pumbaa sat up, turning his neck to look at her.

"Our pleasure." He smiled cheerfully and Hadiya turned to Timon, who was looking at her curiously.

"Oh, so you _can_ talk. I was starting to think you were a mute..." he shrugged. "Well, you know about us..."

"No, she knows about you."

"Alright, alright, don't get your tusks in a twist, Pumbaa. Anyhow, I think it's time we knew a little bit about you." Pumbaa snorted at him as a reminder to not be pushy.

"If you want to tell us, that is." He shot a look to Timon. "So, what's your name?" Hadiya hesitated; she hadn't expected questions (she knew she should have). She hoped they wouldn't want much more than the basics.

"...I'm Hadiya."

"Oh, that's a nice name." Pumbaa said. Timon grunted in agreement.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, you can tell us everything else when you when feel like it." Timon said, lying back down into the grass. Hadiya smiled and did likewise.

She was definitely starting to like it here.

XXXXXXX

A/N I'm sorry that there wasn't much happening here, but I needed to get her there and meeting everybody. Next chap may take a little bit, but I'll work on it. Thanks for reading everybody!


	2. Not a Good Day

A/N boy, talk about rotten luck...I had done this whole chapter and suddenly the disk it was on died. I'm redoing it from memory, so it may not turn out exactly the same way. There may not be a whole lot happening, but I think I should really bring Pazu into the story, if only a little. Sorry this took so long to come out!

If you like this (and I know at least a few of you do) take a peek at my songfic, "Proud of Your Boy" there's plenty of Timon-ey goodness and I'd appreciate some feedback.

Thanks to **Sunrise19, Pichooi, DarkEcoOttsel, **and **Neosun7** for reviewing!

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Hadiya groaned in frustration and sailed past the beetle she was chasing, missing it by a foot. Flinchy laughed from where he sat watching behind her. Hadiya ignored him, launching herself and missed again, sending the beetle buzzing away. "You have too much lion in you, girl. A little less energy next time, eh?" she rolled her eyes. "Just an opinion." She sighed, seeing that there weren't any more bugs wandering around nearby and sat down next to him. Flinchy turned sideways, looking closely at her.

"If you don't mind, and I mean this in a brotherly way, now that you've spent a few days eating you look totally different. Turning into quite a looker." Hadiya gave him a look and he smiled innocently. "What, don't you believe me?"

"No, I don't." she said matter-of-factly. He gazed at her thoughtfully.

"You don't think very much of yourself, do you?"

"I think I'm about average." Hadiya turned away from him irritably and he grinned again.

"I'll bet you Timon doesn't think so..." she was trying to ignore him, but she gave a slight "humph" that only encouraged him. "You spend a lot of time with him, I mean. Everyone's noticed."

"He's my friend, so what?" she got up and started to walk away, but Flinchy pulled her back by the tail. She whirled angrily and tried to yank it from his grip. "Let go!"

"No."

"Do it!"

"Not until I know what's going on with you..." Hadiya grunted and pulled again, stopping to rub her tail tenderly.

"This is starting to hurt...if I talk will you let go?" he did so wordlessly, crossing his arms expectantly. She tugged her ear thoughtfully for a moment and sighed. "You see, the only reason I don't have a colony..."

"Ahem."

"_Didn't _have a colony, is because when I was little my mom was kicked out of ours and she had to take me with her." She wrung her hands as she spoke. "But before all that happened I had this friend...he was my best friend, but we were so little that I can barely remember him. Timon...he reminds me of him."

"So, basically you're saying that Timon's kind of replacing this friend of yours?"

"No!" Hadiya said angrily, "I'm friends with him because I'm friends with him, do I really need a reason?" Flinchy put his hands up defensively, starting to regret voicing his thoughts. "If I had known I'd be getting morally interrogated I'd have stayed away from you!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" he called after her, but she only stomped away. Flinchy arched an eyebrow and shook his head knowingly.

"I think I need to stay away from that subject..."

x x x

Hadiya muttered sourly to herself. She was feeling just a little hurt by what Flinchy had said, but that was no excuse to be angry. She had really hoped to keep her temper under control from then on, but she could see it wouldn't be any use.

"I really don't want everyone to think I'll get angry over every little thing..." she sighed, the last of her temper melting away. She considered going back to apologize to him, but decided it would be best to wait until later.

Slowly she pushed her way down the path, nodding occasionally when she passed someone. Eventually she came upon Max standing with another, much older, meerkat. Max, who had been pointing off towards the desert surrounding the oasis, reached out to stop her as she passed.

"Hadiya, opinion please?" the older one huffed irritably. "Pazu here," he jerked his head to indicate his companion, "seems to think the oasis isn't safe and that we need to start posting sentries."

"Judging by how easily that filthy rogue got in a few days ago I'd say we're getting downright negligent to the outside." Hadiya glared at him, but he paid her no attention. Max, however, was a little more observant. He elbowed Pazu pointedly.

"I don't believe you've met Hadiya yet, have you?" Pazu glanced at her, his mean eyes narrowing in dislike.

"Oh, so that was you, eh? What are you doing here?"

"Now how do you even know it was her?" Max asked, taking hold of Hadiya's shoulders and pushing her along. "I think it would be best if you left." He hissed. Hadiya nodded and started away from them, but she could still hear Pazu calling after her.

"You'd best keep an eye on that one, Max, I don't like the looks of her." It took all of Hadiya's restraint to not turn around and tackle him. She was glad that Max didn't seem to be listening to him, but how long would he go on? She sniffed as she thought about it...surely he wouldn't go and spread that around to the whole colony? She didn't like the possibility of everyone turning again her so soon, but would they be decent enough to believe her instead one of their own?

She was starting to feel like she had her own personal rain cloud that had decided to follow her around as she started to cry softly. It was amazing how fast she was going from anger to unhappy tears. She just didn't understand...how someone could act like that when they don't even know whom they're talking about?

"Aw jeez, now your eyes are gonna be all puffy. You'll never snag yourself a guy lookin' like that." She looked up just in time to see Timon blocking the path. He smiled at and turned off to the side. They stood in silence for a moment before he motioned her over. "Do you ever just stop and look?" Hadiya didn't answer; instead she followed his gaze. He had been admiring one of the many views of the oasis (complete with waterfall). The view spread out below them, with a small cliff overlooking it all. Timon walked forward to sit near the edge, pulling Hadiya with him.

They sat for awhile; Timon focusing on the view and Hadiya on the new issue of Pazu. He seemed to notice her wringing her hands on her lap, he put a hand on her shoulder and leaned close.

"What's the matter with you?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little worked up." She looked out over the oasis, smiling at the sight of the setting sun bathing them in its warm glow. Timon prodded her.

"Is this something I want to hear?" she shrugged and let him wipe away a tear. "I think it may be..."

"I saw Max a little while ago. He was with someone named Pazu."

"Oh." Timon cringed knowingly. "Okay, I get it now. I tell ya, he's even more crotchety than Uncle Max."

"Yeah, that much I gathered. He wasn't exactly friendly, and he kept looking at me..."

"Ew!" Hadiya frowned at him, a little annoyed at what he was implying.

"NO! I mean...it was like he recognized me or something. And to add to it, I was a little mean with Flinchy before that." Timon nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry about it. Pazu's just some musty old coot and Flinchy, well, he'll get over it."

"But..."

"Believe me, you'll forget all about it by morning." She arched an eyebrow and he smiled. "Why not just enjoy the moment?" The light was almost gone now, and the stars were beginning to show. Hadiya sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, frowning when he stiffened.

"Getting a little too friendly?"

"Nah, it just seemed like a good thing to do."

"Oh..." he relaxed and wrapped an arm around her. "Unexpected, but definitely a good way to end the day." He mumbled and smiled into her hair.

xxxxxxxxxx

A/N sorry if it seems like I just threw in some random fluff at the end, originally it was a lot better.


	3. Evening Tempers

A/N okay, okay, I know I said I'd update soon, but my sister-in-law was in a car wreck last week and we flooded so things have been a little hectic around here. I think that's a decent excuse, isn't it? Forgive me?

This was going to be longer, but I thought it would be better like this. Sorry there hasn't been a whole lot of Timon yet, there will be I assure you.

Thanks to **KariGilmore **and **Neosun7** for reviewing, it's nice to see I've got someone reading!

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Timon sat for awhile after Hadiya dozed off, not wanting to wake her. It was getting to be quite late when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Flinchy watching him, his brow furrowed as if in deep thought.

"Isn't it getting a little late?" he said, a hand on his hip. Timon smiled at him.

"I've been delayed."

"I can see that." He walked over to them, bending over Hadiya and brushing her hair away from her face. "she's pretty, isn't she?" Timon glanced at him and looked down at her, wondering what he was getting at. He hardly ever talked to Flinchy and it seemed a little odd to him that he'd decide to now.

"She's definitely, uh...unique." Flinchy raised his eyes to Timon's, an annoyed look crossing his face.

"What, don't you think so?"

"Of course I do, I just...uh..." Timon wasn't really sure what to say, so he tried to change the subject. "You know, you're right, it's pretty late. Maybe I should take her home." He shifted her around until he could get a better hold on her and stood up. Flinchy jumped towards him, as if expecting her to fall. Timon threw him a look. "What am I not capable of carrying her myself?"

"Sorry, I guess it's sort of a reflex. Um...since I'm going the same way, why don't I take her? It'll be easier on you." He held his arms out, but Timon hesitated, not wanting to give her up just yet. It didn't seem like he was up to anything, after all Flinchy wasn't exactly what you'd call the hostile type, but he didn't like the way Flinchy kept glancing at him suspiciously. Somewhat begrudgingly Timon allowed him to take her. Flinchy nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

x x x

Hadiya wriggled sleepily, opening an eye to see Flinchy holding her. He noticed and smiled. "What were you doing out so late?"

"Where's Timon?" she asked, ignoring his question. He sighed and set her on her feet. Without replying he continued down the path. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"It's late Hadiya..."

"I know it's late and I don't care." She glared at him and he returned it with annoyance. "You didn't run him off, did you?"

"Now why would I do something like that?"

"How should I know? I've been here a week, I hardly know you!" she threw her arms in the air, shouting in frustration. "if you would've just said 'he went home' or something instead of changing the subject it probably wouldn't have occurred to me that you might have run him off!"

"Hadiya, calm down." Flinchy grasped her shoulders and shook her gently. She fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I'm doing it again..." she shook her head as she pulled away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Everybody has an off day once in awhile. What do you say we go home and forget about it?" he offered her his arm, but she stepped away from him, not really wanting anymore company for the night.

"I can get there by myself, thank you." She didn't bother to wait for a reply, and strode away in the opposite direction.

Hadiya liked Flinchy, but she was beginning to tire of him _always_ being there and sticking his nose into her business. Her temper wasn't really something she could justify, and she felt a little bad at blowing up at him again, but she really didn't like waking up in his arms. He was a nice guy to talk to (usually anyhow) but bodily contact of _any_ kind was out of the question.

"How am I going to get him to stop touching me? Maybe Osono would tell him I'm sick..." she thought out loud as she stopped at the tree Max had let her claim for her own. She climbed a short distance up the trunk and squeezed through a hole. A fern had somehow worked it's way inside to grow within the space that had been carved into the wood. Hadiya fell forward onto it's fronds, stretching and then snuggling down into the soft greenery.

Her thoughts wandered sleepily as she relaxed, going first to Flinchy, and then Pazu, and lastly Timon. She smiled to herself, thinking of his warm arms around her. Maybe Flinchy was right about him.


	4. Labeled

A/N well, here I am again! I've worked pretty fast on this one, and it's pretty long by my standards: four whole pages!! And I really wanted to get this up for you guys. Sorry if the ending is a little weak, I didn't want them to ramble for another page or I wouldn't have gotten it up so soon. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope everyone had a very full and happy Thanksgiving!

xxxx

Hadiya awoke the next morning to find Osono waiting for her outside. She beckoned her down, immediately grabbing onto her arm when she was within reach.

"Um…good morning."

"Sweetie, listen to me, okay?" Osono glanced around them, noting a few passing meerkats that threw them strange looks. "There's something going around. We don't know how it got started but we don't believe a word of it. All the same, I want you to stay with us."

"Wait, what's going on?" Osono looked relieved.

"Oh, so you don't know? Good, perhaps it's better that way." She pulled Hadiya along with her, pushing past anyone in her path and not bothering to be polite. "We'll explain it all later, just…don't go anywhere alone, okay?"

"All right…"

xxx

Timon was on the verge of ripping his hair out. He was under the strict instructions of his mother to not start anything, but boy did he want to. Everywhere he went it seemed like they were talking about her, where she came from, what to do, why…it was enough to make any guy's blood boil. He sincerely hoped that what he was hearing wasn't true, especially the part about Hadiya directly.

His scowl deepened when Flinchy passed him, a frown crossing his face as he listened to someone recounting the tale. "Move it, this is my spot! Everybody out!" the two sent him a dirty look and continued on their way. _'He's not even defending her.'_ He thought bitterly, staring until he lost sight of him. What good was it to be interested in someone if you're not even going to stand up for them? _'Oh well, maybe he'll back off now…'_

He caught sight of his mother pushing through the vegetation and pulling Hadiya along with her. He jumped up to meet them, then thought better of it and sat back down (it wouldn't do to look to eager to talk to her).

"Alright, Ma." He said, rising again when they reached him. "I've chased everybody off. Well, I tried to get Uncle Max to go jump off a tree, but he…" he stopped, seeing Hadiya's eyes swimming with tears. "Oh no."

"Yes, I heard. But I don't understand it…how can they know?" she sniffed. Osono glanced around; double-checking that no one was listening. She motioned to Max.

"Dear, I think it would be best if we got this out…just among us, of course." Hadiya nodded, lowering herself to the ground. After a moment she took a deep breath and looked up at them.

"I'm a rogue because of my mother. She wasn't the calmest person in the world and tended to get a little…hot headed. When I was younger we lived in the colony where I was born. We were happy, or at least, I was. Mama was never really content.

"One day I was exploring the tunnels with a friend of mine. I can't remember his name now, but he was my best friend back then. All of a sudden there was shouting and before I knew it I was running with Mama. We were chased out of the tunnels and run out of the colony. It was all so confusing…"

Max had stood listening silently to her, now he bent and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked her in the eye until she turned her head away. "Hadiya, you're mother…her name was Kesi, wasn't it?" Hadiya nodded, her eyes wide.

"Whoa, hold on now." Timon finally interrupted (he'd been itching to say something). "Uncle Max, how do you know her name? And what does that have to do with anything?" Max rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"Hadiya, do you know why Kesi was forced out of the colony?" she shook her head. "Then I hate to be the one telling you the truth, but…she was a murderer."

"_What!?" _all three of the others gasped together, staring at him in disbelief.

"But how? That was so long ago, surely this isn't that little pup…" Osono put a protective arm around Hadiya, pulling her close.

"I'm afraid she is." Max gave her a weak smile. "All grown up and home again." Hadiya sat gaping at him, as if unable to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"No…not Mama…she would never…"

"She has been gone for quite awhile, has she not?"

"Yes, but…"

"Hadiya, I'm sorry, but it's the truth." She sunk lower still, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Timon put an arm around her as she began to cry.

"And everybody knows?" he asked. Max nodded. "But how? I mean, it's not like we've gone shouting it out to the whole colony."

"I'm not really sure how it got out," Hadiya said, she stood up and wiped her eyes, "but I have a pretty good idea who did it." She turned to Max. "Have you seen Pazu since last night?"

"No, why? You don't think…"

"I do." Max shook his head and raised his palms defensively.

"No! There's absolutely no way he could cause so much trouble in just _one night!_" Hadiya followed him as he began to stomp away, stepping in front of him at the first opportunity.

"But you saw how he was last night!"

"He's always been crotchety like that…"

"Didn't you see it? He knew who I was!" the three of them stared at her. Thoughtfully Osono nodded.

"He's certainly old enough to remember something like that. Max, I think she may be right." Max shrugged uncertainly.

"We have no wa-" he cut himself off at the sound of voices approaching them. Hastily he, Osono, and Timon moved in front of Hadiya, blocking her from view just as the group caught sight of them.

"Where is she?" asked Flinchy, the mob falling silent behind him.

"Now, this is no way to act. Hadiya hasn't done anything to any of you." Osono said, looking him over disapprovingly.

"We're not saying she's done anything, we just want to know if it's true." He craned his neck, looking for her. "Where is she, anyway?"

"Not here." Timon gave a growl, and stepped towards Flinchy. "And you wouldn't be here either if you knew what was good for you."

"_Timon!"_

"Are you threatening me?" Flinchy was surprised to hear something like that coming from Timon. "What's your problem?"

"What's my problem? Let's see," he held up an arm as if measuring the top of someone's head. "It's about yea high, annoying, and is shallower than a puddle. What do you _think_ my problem is?"

Flinchy glared at him, his mouth twisting into a snarl. "I think one problem can be solved right here…"

"No, don't you dare!" Hadiya gasped, jumping out from behind them. Flinchy and Timon merely glanced at her and continued glowering where they were. "you two should be ashamed of yourselves, fighting and arguing like pups."

"But…" Timon started.

"You have no reason to be going at each other like this."

"But he has an angry mob!" she looked back and forth between the two worriedly, pausing to look at Timon imploringly. He sighed "I'll knock it off if you want me to."

"Thank you." she smiled at him, but frowned when she turned to Flinchy. "You…you get away from me."

"But…"

"Go." He stood there, stunned for a moment before turning to disappear in the now dispersing mob. Hadiya watched him for a moment before turning to Timon. "I appreciate you sticking up for me like that."

"Anytime." He and put an arm around her.

"But, please don't get into a fight with him, okay?" he nodded solemnly and turned to the others. "Ma, what are we going to do about this?"

"I really don't know, Timmy."

"Maybe…maybe I should go." Hadiya suggested quietly. Timon tightened his hold.

"Uh-uh."

"We would never make you leave over something like this." Max said.

"So, you're not upset?"

"Well, it is a little surprising…" Hadiya pouted a little unintentionally and he laughed. "But like it or not, you're stuck with us."


	5. What Hadiya Was Looking For

A/N sorry this took awhile, after Christmas and a new computer I didn't have a whole lot of time to work on it...anyway, I hope this is good, although it's little shorter than I'd hoped.

Many thanks to my reviewers: **neosun7, Pichooi, KariGilmore, jla2snoopy, **and **SunRise19!** You guys rock!

xxx

Max proved right, she was stuck with them. Or at least, that's how it seemed to Hadiya. Not once had she been allowed a moment alone. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate them looking out for her, it was just frustrating. She eventually gave in and now sat swishing her feet around in the waterof the river that wound through the oasis. Evening had come and the fireflies were beginning to venture out, giving the area a tranquil atmosphere. Pumbaa was floating lazily out on the water, but Timon and his mother were sitting next to her, conversing quietly. They glanced at her every so often. Finally Osono cleared her throat and turned to her.

Timon was shaking his head at her, but she ignored him and smiled warmly at Hadiya. "Dear, can I ask you a question?" Hadiya nodded, smiling as Timon gave andefeated "Oy!" Osono didn't seem to notice. "Hadiya...how long has it been since your mother passed?"

"Ma! Do you think she'd really want to talk abou-"

"It's been about a year." she interrupted. Osono appeared surprised, as did Timon.

"That long?" he asked, his eyes wide. "You made it on your own for that long _out there?_" he waved vaguely to indicate the outside world.

"You did it, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I at least had Pumbaa with me!"

"What were you doing all that time?" Osono asked. Hadiya turned away, concentrating on Pumbaa as he floated past. "Hadiya?"

"Just sort of wandering around, you know, from colony to colony...looking..." she trailed off, seeing Max step out of the foliage on the opposite bank, motioning to them. Osono got up with a shrug.

"I'll see what he wants." She left the two to finish their conversation. Timon scooted to his mother's spot, closer to Hadiya.

"What were you looking for?"

"Actually, it was someone." she paused uncertainly. This was the first time she had ever mentioned this to anyone but Flinchy...she'd never even told her mother. "I used to have this friend...I told Flinchy I was too young to remember so he wouldn't ask alot of questions...But I wasn't that little. I was old enough that I really liked him."

Timon chuckled. "Puppy love?" Hadiya elbowed him, pouting.

"Are you going to listen or not? You did ask after all."

"Sorry...so, uh, what was his name?"

"That I really_ don't_ remember. I can't remember what he looks like that well, either. But since this is where me and mom came from, I'm sure to find him, don't you think?"

Timon looked out at the water hesitantly._ No, I had hoped...ah, what was I thinkin'? _

"Timon?"

"Listen, I think I'm gonna turn in. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" He got up and made his way into the leaves. Unaware that she was watching, he paused and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if it wasn't obvious before it certainly is now..."

xxx

"Now what is it that you're so worked up about?" Osono asked. Max glanced around them shiftily before leaning close.

"He's not here."

"Who's not?"

"Pazu! I've been through the entire colony today, no one's seen him since yesterday when he told them about Kesi." Osono brought her hands to her mouth in a small gasp.

"So you know it was him?" Max nodded grimly. "What should we do?"

"Keep a good eye on Hadiya. Pazu isn't the kind to forgive easily..." they returned to the river, hoping to get her to go home. Osono gave a tiny shriek. Pumbaa had managed to fall asleep and had been beached on the sand, but no one else was to be seen.

"Where _is_ she!?"


	6. The Truth

A/N I know, I'm getting behind on te chapters. I've been getting so stressed out with graduating and everyone's tearing my hide about what I'm majoring in (music education, but i want to write before long).

A favor, please? If anyone notices any plot holes or things of that sort, please point it out to me.

As always, I appreciate your reviews _so much_!. Thanks to **Karigilmore, SunRise19, Pichooi, **and **Em.** You guys rock!

xxx

"Ow..." Hadiya's head was aching terribly. She wriggled around a bit to find that she was laid out on a pile of soft leaves. She groaned again when she saw Flinchy sitting next to her, his face turned away from her.

"You need to be quiet." he said, his head turning minutely so he could glance at her. "You're not supposed to be awake."

"What's going on?" she asked. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder lightly and he turned to face her. He smiled weakly and gingerly touched a finger to his bruised eye. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I didn't want to do it, Hadiya. I really didn't." he sadly shook his head, hoping that she wouldn't go into a panic or anything.

"Do what?"

"Sneak up on you like that...I didn't hurt you too much, did I?" she rubbed her eyes wearily and offered a smile.

"No, I'm okay. But, Flinchy why did you do it?"

He turned away from her again. "You're not going to be happy about it."

"I've got enough to be angry about, I think the least you can do is tell me why I've been kidnapped. Please?"

"It was my grandfather...Pazu." Hadiya's surprise made itself evident in the way she cried out and backed away from him.

"That-that THING is related to you?"

"Be quiet Hadiya!"

"I don't think so!" she leaped to her feet and paced around him, peering into the dark jungle and trying to find her bearings in the unfamiliar place. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from runnning away.

"Please be quiet! I don't know how close he is!" she struggled against him, eventually becoming still and sniffling.

"Why is he doing this to me?" she muttered out loud. Flinchy released her and sat her down on a stone.

"It's a long story..."

"I want it short." he shrugged with a sigh.

"If you say so..." He sighed and glanced around them, making sure that they were really alone. "Okay, don't say you're sorry, because I've been hearing it my whole life and it gets old...my parents both died when I was little, back when we were in the old tunnels. I've lived mostly with my grandfather, since I don't really have other family." Hadiya already felt bad for him. He noticed and frowned at her.

"Don't Hadiya. I didn't know them, so it's not that bad."

"But you've gone you're entire life without them!"

"I know...are you going to let me finish?" she nodded silently and he paused before continuing. "I didn't always stay with Grandpa...at first I lived with an aunt and uncle. They were pretty young so they weren't exactly experts on child care, my aunt loved me, my uncle took after Pazu. But we were happy..." he trailed off, unsure of whether he should go on. Hadiya squeezed his arm reassuringly.

"If it's too much..."

He shook his head, pushing her away and moving to pace around the small clearing. "Not long after I went to live with them my aunt found out that she was expecting. Naturally I was a little worried about that, and that's when Grandpa came to me. I remember him saying that they'd be too busy to take care of me, that I wouldn't matter so much anymore." He growled, an angry scowl crossing his features." I should have known better, but I was afraid that he would be right. So I went to live with him. I don't remember how long it was, but my aunt's pups came soon after. Only one made it..." he stopped and turned to look at her seriously.

"What?" he sat next to her, taking her hands into his own.

"Hadiya, that was you." He grinned as she sat gaping at him. "You're my cousin!"

"Y-you're kidding."

"What?" he cried, insulted. "Why on earth would I kid about something like this? I'd have told you sooner, but I didn't realize it until I heard the rumors!"

"Rumors? You mean this morning?"

"Yes! I recognized your mother's name." She was glared at him, and his smile faded in his confusion. "What, you're not happy about it?"

"Oh yes, I'm happy about it...but I'm not happy that you pretty much turned on me today!" she threw his hands fom hers, standing to head back into the jungle.

Flinchy gave a cry and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Would you let me explain?" she hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms huffily. "The truth is...I was kind of upset when I realized who you were. You see, Hadiya, I...uh...I really...liked you."

She straightened and looked at him in surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah, but since we're related that's _so_ wrong." They both made a face at the thought. "That was a little awkward, wasn't?"

"Very. Let's never speak of it again."

"Agreed"

They fell silent, both becoming dimly aware of the sound of movement nearby and Hadiya drew closer to Flinchy. After a moment Pazu seemed to materialize from the darkness. He paused to sneer at them.

"You're not supposed to be awake yet." Hadiya tensed, yearning to pounce on him. "I told Max to watch out for you. Pity he wasn't going to listen. On your feet." He gestured to them. Flinchy stood, pulling his reluctant cousin up with him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, Pazu merely smiled.

"We're going on a trip."


	7. Hey, What's Going On?

A/N I'm back! And in record time, if I do say so myself. Half days at school allow much time to type alone, so here I am! Anyway, I tried to have everybody in this chapter, so I hope I managed that.

Thanks to **SunRise19 **for reviewing! To tell the truth, though, I hadn't really thought of bringing Simba into this. I guess I should keep all options open, though! Thanks to everyone else who's read too, even if you haven't reviewed (though I'd prefer it if you did). Happy reading everyone!

xxx

Timon hadn't slept when he went to bed. With all that he had on his mind, it was a wonder that he could sit still at all. But then, after just a little while, Pumbaa had shown up, dragging him away without a word; after several hours of searching he was just plain scared.

Presently the duo was circling the borders of the oasis, Timon perched atop his friend's head to survey the surrounding land. He groaned after examining yet more empty sand. "I can't believe you let this happen!"

"Me? You're the one that just walked off and left her!"

"I had a good reason, and besides you guys were there." He said defensively. Pumbaa snorted up at him.

"I didn't even know you guys were nearby."

"Look, just 'cause you're too thick to-" Timon cut himself off, aware that he had nearly said something he would have regretted terribly. He knew that it really was his fault that Hadiya had disappeared, no matter how many good excuses he came up with.

Not that he was going to admit that, of course.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, offering Pumbaa a shrug, even though the warthog couldn't really see it. "Sorry, Pumbaa, I'm a little worked up over all this. It's just that, well, she's _gone!_ She's gone and for all we know we may never find her!" He slumped down and slid on his stomach to lie on Pumbaa's snout. "I mean, what if we don't find her in time?"

"Don't worry, Timon." Pumbaa smiled, trying to look encouragingly at the meerkat, but became cross-eyed in the attempt. "We'll find her and she'll be fine."

"Yeah, I hope so. Hey, not a word of this to anybody, got it?" Pumbaa chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"No, really, what is it?" Pumbaa laughed again, a little louder this time and Timon propped himself up huffily. "What?"

"It's just that you're so worried about her."

"And that's funny how?"

"You're never like that. I just think it's cute, that's all."

"_Cute?"_

Pumbaa stopped in his tracks, dumping Timon to the ground as he looked down to his hooves.

"Hey!"

"Tracks! Do you think it was them?" Timon bent over them, dusting himself off. They were standing at the very edge of the oasis, where the lush vegetation faded to dry, cracked earth. The loose top layer of sand had been disturbed, and it appeared as if the tracks continued off into the desert. The pair stared at it, their eyes following the trail until it disappeared otu of sight. Timon gave a yell and scrambled excitedly back onto Pumbaa's head.

"Come on! Come on!"

"But shouldn't we tell somebody first?" Pumbaa asked worriedly. Timon just continued to tug at his ears as if they were reins.

"Pumbaa, do you have any idea how much time that would take?" He paused, glancing back at the oasis and bending to Pumbaa's ear. "Time is something we may not have, buddy."

xxx

"We...we're going out there?" Hadiya asked. She and Flinchy inched closer together. Pazu merely smiled as if he were amused. The three of them were standing just where Timon and Pumbaa would find their tracks, a few hours later. The young meerkats glanced at each other.

"Well, you two are, at any rate." Hadiya was growling under her breath, brought to her last nerve. She stepped around Flinchy so she could get up in Pazu's face.

"You crazy old idiot! Do you just expect us to walk off into the desert?" Pazu glared back at her, any trace of amusement gone.

"I do. And you are _not _coming back to this colony."

"Grandpa, don't you think this is a little unnecessary?" Flinchy asked worriedly as Hadiya allowed him to pull her back. "I mean, what have we done?"

"Yes, please enlighten us with a villianous monologue, why don't you..." Hadiya gave a snarl that was returned by Pazu.

"If you don't know, you little tramp, then don't expect me to tell you. Get out of here. And if either of you come back, then I _will _kill you." She began to protest, but he cut such an imposing figure that Flinchy turned tail and ran, dragging her by the arm.

xxx

Several hours later Hadiya was sifting feverishly through the loose dirt, Flinchy doing likewise beside her. She paused and glanced up at the sun.

"Okay, it's almost noon. If we get this done in a few minutes then it should spare us from from all this heat. At least for a little while."

"And we'll have a safe place to rest, right?" Flinchy added, stopping to rub at the sweaty fur of his forehead. Hadiya smiled at him.

"That's right!" The two resumed their work in silence displacing the last bits of dirt just as the sun reached it's peak. Between the two of them they had managed to make a tunnel big enough that they could both stand upright inside it. Hadiya spread her arms and danced happily about the little room.

"I can't believe we did this ourselves! I've never even dug a tunnel before!"

Flinchy peered at the sky through the hole they had used as an entrance. "Never? But it was your idea!"

"Well, I always watched Mom do it, but she always said she could do it by herself, so I never helped." She dropped next to him, yawning. "Boy, what a night we've had, huh?"

"Yeah...really though, I'm sorry about all this."

"But why?"

"What do you mean?" he asked blankly. Hadiya smiled warmly at him.

"Well the way i see it, I've got a new cousin, and now I now that Osono and everyone cares enough about me to try and protect me. So I guess...in a roundabout way...that this is a good thing." she yawned again, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Do you mind if I take a nap?"

"Go ahead, you need it. I'll keep an eye on things ." Hadiya nodded and muttered something before drifting off to sleep.

xxx

Osono had worked herself into a tizzy looking for Hadiya. Her fearsome interrogations had driven nearly everyone to hide from her. Max, thinking calmly enough to be sensible, had posted sentries throughout the whole of the oasis. Presently he was conferring with one, a short, red headed female. The sentry, Amani, was reporting the few things that had been spotted that day.

"Not much out of the ordinary, Sir. The post at the north reported seeing two small figures about three quarters of a mile into the desert eary this morning. Pumbaa was seen heading that way not too long ago."

"Just Pumbaa?" Amani shook her head.

"No, I'm pretty sure Timon was with him." she frowned seriously.

"And no sign of Flinchy or Pazu?" she shook her head and he gave a sigh. Glancing about, Amani whispered discreetly to him.

"Sir, if I may, what do they have to do with all this?"

"It's a long story, but we think those two had something to do with Hadiya's disappearance."

"Or vice versa." she muttered.

"Amani." he said warningly.

"Well, you can't always-" They were interrupted by a shout from several feet away. They ran to find that the disturbance was from Osono.

"How dare you! How dare you even think such filth!" she was shaking a rather flustered looking Pazu by the fur of his chest. Max made no attempt to pry her away, instead he merely asked her to be quiet. Pazu jumped at his chance and loosed a pitiful wail.

"Oh, if only you had listened! I warned you against that rogue, I told you she couldn't be trusted!" Amani gave a gasp, but Max clearly wasn't buying this act. He watched Pazu dully, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Knock it off, Pazu, what is it now?"

"FILTH!"

"Osono, please!" Pazu paused and drew a shaky breath.

"That...that rogue...she's done it. I've looked and looked for the body..."

"Body?" Amani squeaked. A few passing meerkats stopped to see the spectacle; Pazu caught sight of this and raised his voice, certain now tha he would be heard.

"The rogue...she killed Flinchy!" a startled murmur rose from the crowd and Max growled.

"I see. You're very convincing, Pazu, but I'll deal with you later. Now beat it before I kill you myself." The older meerkat's sorrowful demeanor seemed evaporate, he wrenched away from Osono and disappeared into the leaves. The crowd didn't budge until the fuming Osono began to shoo them away. Max gestured Amani closer.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, seeming a little shaken by the angry elder.

"I want you to take over the northern post. If you see so much as a termite out there, I want to know." he ordered. Amani nodded and gave him a jaunty salute before hurrying away.


	8. Remembrances and the Whole Truth

A/N Here we are! I know most of you guessed a long time ago, but I had a hard time not bringing this out too early.

I hope that everyone enjoys my little moment down there (seriously, I need opinions) and also the rest of the chapter, for that matter.

Thanks to **KariGilmore, SunRise19, and Pichooi** for reviewing!

As always, I'm greatly indebted to all of you. I would probably never get around to finishing these things if I didn't know someone was actually enjoying them. Happy reading!

x x x

Meanwhile, our favorite duo had finally reached the end of the tracks. Timon hopped from his friend's snout and bent to his knees, sticking his head down into the hole they had come to. As soon as he had caught a glimpse of Flinchy he grabbed hold of him and dragged him out by the arm.

"Timon? What are you two doing here?" he asked, rather surprised, but at the same time relieved to see a potentially friendly face.

"What did you do with her?" Timon growled into his face. Flinchy looked confused, but then a brief realization came over him.

"Oh, you think I took Hadiya?"

"I don't think, I know." He still had a hold of him. "Now where is she?"

"Well," Flinchy answered hesitantly, "In a way I guess you're right...I did take her, but there's really no need for you to be so worried. She's perfectly fine." Timon glared steadily at him, his suspicion evident. Flinchy rolled his eyes. "Alright, then, don't believe me. Why not look for yourself?" he said, gesturing to the hole that lead to their hiding place.

"You haven't done anything, have you?" Timon traded the glare for concern. He really was worried about her. He frowned at Pumbaa, who merely shrugged. "If you have..."

"For crying out loud, why don't you just trust me? You'd be a lot better off if you just opened up a little." Giving him an uncertain glance, Timon turned and disappeared below ground.

"Has he always jumped to conclusions like that?" Flinchy asked Pumbaa irritably. The warthog chuckled from where he had nestled himself into a little pile of dirt.

"I've gotten used to it."

x x x

_Hadiya pulledhimalong behind her, stopping every few seconds to listen to the low cadence beating all around them. Distant shouts could be heard blending with the other sounds._

_"There's an awful lot of noise up there..." her friend made a barefaced observation and she nodded absently. "What do you think is going on?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Oh." She stopped, abruptly moving back a few paces, cupping her hand around her ear._

_"It's getting louder." A deep rumble erupted through the tunnel, escalating into a roar that shook bits of dirt from the ceiling above them. The sound died away seconds later. The two stood staring back the way they had come. Puffs of dust came drifting toward them. _

_"What the heck was that?" he wondered aloud, shaking his head worriedly. Hadiya shrugged mutely and neither moved._

_"I think-"_

_"Hadiya!" they both jumped and latched onto one another. Another cloud of dust enveloped them, bringing with it a figure larger than either of them. "There you are."_

_"Mom?" Hadiya asked tentatively. Kesi looked relieved, but she stiffened when she saw that her daughter was not alone. Hadiya ran to her. "Mom, what happened?"_

_"We're leaving, Hadiya." She said sternly. Hadiya began to protest, but the voices from before were growing louder. They were very angry voices._

She furrowed her brow, trying her best to recall every detail. It had been so long ago that it was getting to be difficult...she tried to focus on her friend's face, hoping to sort out the familiarity of it. The images came to her somewhat hazily.

_Still, she knew it was urgent but she struggled as her mother took her hand and pulled her away, not willing to leave her friend behind. But Kesi was much stronger than she was. Without a word she pulled her daughter away. Hadiya looked back at her friend as they fled._

_"Hadiya!" he cried, looking stricken._

She hadn't remembered that before, the memory always faded when they began to run. Now though, she could see it clearly. He had called out to her, and she had answered

_"Timon!"_

A hand on her shoulder brought Hadiya back to the present and she glance sleepily at him as he bent over her.

"Timon?"

"Hey, we've been looking for you." he pulled her to her feet where she stood blinking at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I...wait! What are you doing here?" he couldn't help but look a little hurt as she pushed him away.

"Just what I said! We've been looking for you since last night!"

"We? Who's we?"

"Me and Pumbaa!" she relaxed visibly, smiling weakly at him.

"Good, then it's not so bad."

"What are you talking about?" Hadiya hesitated, glancing around uncertainly.

"Where's Flinchy?" Timon jabbed an impatient finger upward. "Good. We need to talk and I don't want an audience..."

"Hadiya, what-"

"You remember what I told you last night, right?" she interrupted him. Rather than being sour about it, he nodded.

"About your friend?"

"Yes. That last memory I have of him, it never lasts long. Anyway, I've been thinking about it and...and I think I finally know who it is."

"Oh." That was really all that Timon could think to say. She was forgiving, much more so than he could have been. He attempted a smile, but it died on his lips. "I'm happy for you." He didn't see the confused look cross her face.

"You are?"

"Of course I am, as long as you're happy. That _is _why you two ran off, isn't it?" She furrowed her brow, giving him an odd look. It wasn't one that he didn't much care for. What had she been expecting? Did she want him to be angry? Hadiya giggled.

"Oh, not Flinchy. Good Heavens no!" she laughed, leaving Timon to be confused once again. "I was talking about you."

He didn't say anything. _He couldn't. _How was he supposed to respond to this? He felt wonderful, but it was just so _unlikely._ Him, of all people...

He stuttered incoherently at her, trying to sort it all out in his head. Finally he managed to speak. "Y...you're sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure." Hadiya put her arms around his neck, leaning close enough to touch noses with him. "Please don't think I've made a mistake. I know how you are." Hesitantly, he returned her embrace. "I know you're wondering how this could happen to someone like you."

"Wow, you do know me."

"Finding you always seemed so impossible, but now..."

"...It all seems so easy." he finished, closing the distance between them. The movement startled both of them at first, but as their lips brushed it seemed as if they had never not known what was between them. The events of the day before faded from mind as they stood, each enveloped in the other. There was nothing to distract them, nothing else that seemed to matter. They parted briefly, and Hadiya rested her cheek against Timon's chest.

"I've waited a long time for something like that." he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "I'm so glad you found me." They fell into silence, neither willing to move away.

"Now what are they doing?" both of their heads snapped up to see Flinchy hanging through the entrance to the burrow. He frantically tried to pull himself back through it. "Up Pumbaa, UP!" He disappeared and Hadiya broke away from Timon to scramble up after him.

"DOES THE WORD PRIVACY MEAN _NOTHING_ TO YOU?" Timon couldn't help but laugh when, after following her, he found her chasing Flinchy in circles around Pumbaa's legs.

"It was just so _cute!_"

"I'LL SHOW YOU CUTE!" It was good to see that they were getting along again (if that's what you would call it). He stepped into their path and caught her as she passed him. Hadiya began to kick at him, but settled to glowering at her cousin.

"So, uh...I take it everything's been straightened out?" Pumbaa asked, bending low so the meerkats could climb onto him.

Flinchy gave Hadiya a meaningful look. "Not yet, it's not. We've still got a few things to clear up."

"Right." she said, still looking a little miffed that she had been watched. Flinchy scooted away so that Timon was between them as Pumbaa began to trot towards the distant greenery of the oasis. "I have a feeling it may not be easy..."


	9. Amani the Pawn

A/N well, expect me to be gone for about a week. Our school's senior trip this year is to Disney World and Universal Studios. We're taking a bus from Kentucky to Florida so I'll have plenty of time to write. I know this is super short, but I wanted to get _something_ up before I leave.

I don't know what I'm going to do with Amani, but I'd like her to be in this a bit more than she has. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

So thank you to **SunRise19, Pichooi,** and **MorpheusDreamer** for reviewing! It's so nice to see a new reviewer! I'm glad you like it so far MD!

x x x

Amani lay on her stomach, stretched out along a low branch where she could see off into the desert. She squinted, tryingto tell whetherthe distant warthogwas alone.

'No doubt Timon's with him, I've never seen those two apart.' She thought, deciding that she had better let Max know, like she had been told to do. With a grunt she rolled off the branch, catching it just as she fell so she could drop safely to the one below. She didn't notice him standing there as she paused to recover from the drop. It was only when she bent to climb down again and he cleared his throat that she saw him. Amani gasped, startled, and clung to the limb, giving him an annoyed look.

"Can I _help_ you?" she asked sourly. He smiled at her, but it came across as more of a smirk.

"Where are you going?" Amani didn't answer. She wasn't very familiar with the older members of the colony, if Max didn't like Pazu she wasn't sure she should either. Besides, this was just creepy. He frowned slightly. "I asked you a question."

"What should it matter to you where I'm going?" she said, still hanging halfway off the branch. Pazu walked closer to her. He leaned to peer down at the ground.

"It's not very far to the ground, but still…I imagine to fall would be very painful." She didn't quite get his meaning and scoffed, although she was a little worried.

"Yeah, if someone was enough of an idiot to—hey!" she cried out as he grabbed her arms, pulling her up and holding her out away from the branch. He didn't drop her, but held her out over the open air. Amani began to kick at him, crying out and hoping someone was nearby. "What are you crazy? Let me go, you idiot!"

"You want me to let go?" he asked innocently. She knew what he meant this time around and her tone changed instantly as she began to plead with him.

"Yes! No, I mean no! I mean-please just don't!" she ceased to struggle and hung there, staring at him imploringly. "What do you want?"

"Where were you going?" Pazu asked again. This time Amani sighed, gesturing out towards the desert with her head.

"I…I was just going to tell Max that Timon and Pumbaa were coming back." Pazu gave her a sour look. This wasn't what he had wanted to hear, and she feared for a moment that he was about to drop her. She was surprised, though, when he leaned close to her.

"I'm going to put you down. You are not going to Max. Instead, you need to spread the word that Hadiya is returning."

"Hadiya?"

"Yes. And she's alone. Understand?"

"But she's not-" he quieted her by jostling her out over the open air. She squealed and nodded furiously.

"She's alone! I got it!"

"Good." He pulled her back to safety, his scowl never fading. Amani returned as she began to climb down once more, shaken.

"I've got to quit volunteering for these kind of jobs..."


	10. Back Home

A/N my apologies for the horribly late update (and short chapter). I've been a bit busy lately, and also a little depressed. You see, Tuesday (which I guess would be tomorrow) is my graduation from high school. I'm a very sentimental person and tend to be unhappy with the fact that my life seems to be passing me by so quickly. Many of my friends are hardly friends anymore. A lot of things are changing and I've found myself in the middle of it all.

There I go again…I 'm sorry, I don't want to sound whiny or anything. Anyway, with summer now here I'll be starting school a month later. I'll try to finish this story off soon and begin another. I hope this chapter will hold you for another week or so.

Thanks to **SunRise19, Pichooi, **and **MorpheusDreamer** for reviewing! as always, i really appreciate it!

x x x

The trip back to the oasis was turning out to be ridiculously slow. Slow, not necessarily due to obstacles, it was more like Hadiya trying to land a hit on Flinchy and knocking him to the ground. A lot. So many times, in fact, that eventually he just trotted along next to Pumbaa, hoping to give her time to cool down. It was well into evening when they reached the shelter of the leaves.

Pumbaa dropped flat onto his stomach as soon as he saw a suitable spot. Timon and Hadiya slid from his back as he grinned sheepishly. "It didn't look that far…didn't think I'd get so tired…"

"Well, I hate to say it buddy, but you could stand to lose a little-" Hadiya elbowed him and he shut his mouth. "So, what now?"

"Do you think we should let someone know that we're back?" Flinchy suggested, glancing around as if expecting someone of authority to appear. The other two shrugged.

"Well…"

"What?"

"I don't think it's really a good idea to go running around announcing our arrival." Hadiya said matter-of-factly. "You know, unless you _want_ to get killed." Flinchy nodded, knowing that she was right, but Pumbaa started from where he was pushing his snout around a bit of mud, hoping for a bite.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"It's not important." Hadiya said.

"I should think if it involved death it would be terribly important…" Timon asked. Hadiya turned away, concentrating on Pumbaa's mud hole. "Flinchy?" he asked, turning to the other.

"We weren't really supposed to come back." Timon just looked at him blankly. "You know…Pazu? Ran us off? It would make sense for him to threaten us."

"Eh?"

"Pazu's going to kill them if he finds out they're here." Pumbaa offered, having grasped it somewhat better than his friend. Timon growled.

"If he even tries it, I'll-"

"You'll what? No offense, Timon, but you're not exactly a fighter." Flinchy snorted. Timon's growl turned into an arrogant glare.

"I can do it, if need be…"

"Yeah, sure."

"What, you want me to prove it?"

"Don't start that, guys." Hadiya turned back to them. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be careful about this." She glanced between the two, who were squinting irritably at one another. "Timon? Flinchy?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop acting like pups."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me like the best thing to do would be to wait here. Timon, Pazu isn't looking for you, so you can go find your uncle and mother to tell them we're all right. Pumbaa, if you would, stay here with us."

"You want me to walk around the entire oasis?"

"Yes, Timon. A little exercise won't kill you." Timon grunted at Flinchy's remark, but did nothing more as Hadiya was giving them both a stern look."

"Surely with Pumbaa here Pazu wouldn't even think of trying to get us. You don't mind, do you?" she smiled up at the warthog and he returned it, shaking his head. It was all settled, but Timon was still a little unsure. He glanced back at the cousins as he turned to leave them.

"You're sure about this? I mean, if something happens, I want to be here to see…" Hadiya rolled her eyes and shooed him away.

"Just get going."

"All right, all right." he stepped in among the leaves, lost almost instantly from sight. Hadiya and Flinchy both loosed a yawn, tired from their night on the run.

"That was a good idea, Hadiya." Pumbaa said, shifting as the two meerkats settled against his side. "He'd have never thought of that."

"Thanks, Pumbaa." She smiled, drifting into sleep. Pumbaa glanced around; making sure everything was all right before lowering his head. Sleep would be a welcome break.


	11. Struck Again

A/N I know, I know, I've been slacking horribly and there's no excuse for that. I went into a brief slump after graduation, got busy being ordered around by my parents, started getting into college, and took a vacation.

But that's still no reason to be so lazy. I've gotten a laptop, but can't really write on it yet seeing as I'm not really connected to anything yet. sigh

Summer's half gone too…anyhow; I'll make up for it. Here's chapter eleven, I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for not giving up on me (those of you still reading).

Thanks to my chapter 10 reviewers: **Bloodshy Testament, MorpheusDreamer, Pichooi, SunRise19, and Nala5**(who should update her Redwall fic about Song and Dann...oops, didn't mean to nag). Thank you especially for understanding about the graduation thing, it was depressing.

xxx

Osono was not hard to find, considering that she could be heard a long ways off. Timon cringed inwardly as he followed her voice, wondering who was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. He would have been thrilled to know that it was actually Max, who was beginning to regret letting Pazu run off, if only because it was giving him a headache.

"Did it even occur to you that he may actually hurt someone? What if he finds them before we do? Surely he'd want to go after Hadiya." Osono gasped as she thought of the all of the horrible things that could happen. "And what about Timmy? He's such a good boy; he's probably trying to protect her. Omigosh, if what he gets hurt?" The two were still sitting in the clearing in which they had spent the entire day. Max had been cornered against a rock and was now propped huffily against it, giving his niece enough space for her rant to fizzle out. Timon raised an eyebrow wearily at his pacing mother.

"For Pete's sake, I'm not an idiot. I think I can keep from getting killed." He called, drawing their attention. He ducked aside as his mother bounded toward him.

"Timmy!"

"Look, we don't have time for this, Ma." He said apologetically, motioning Max over. "It's getting dark and I'm in a hurry."

"Well? Spit it out!" Timon glared sourly at Max.

"I will if you don't interrupt me."

"Don't go givin' me none of your sauce…"

"Would you just let me talk?" Timon growled. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really not trying to be a smart aleck, it's just that I want to get back to Pumbaa and the others…"

"Others? Did you find Hadiya?"

"Yes Ma."

"And…Flinchy?"

"Yes. They're both with Pumbaa out towards the border." Timon answered. Osono chuckled in relief.

"I'm glad they're okay…" Timon shook his head.

"Not yet they're not. From what they told me it was Pazu who ran them out. And he's threatened to kill them if he finds them here in the oasis!" though he didn't show it, Timon was becoming very scared. Despite the fact that Pumbaa was watching over them he felt that he needed to be there with them. He couldn't really protect them, but he still needed to be there…

"Timmy?" Osono touched her son's shoulder gently and he looked to her.

"Ma, I've gotta go. Stay here, okay?"

"She's not going anywhere." Max said, nodding to Timon.

"Thanks. Oh, and if Pazu comes by…keep him busy or something." With that he disappeared swiftly into the foliage.

Stroking his chin, Max stared after him, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That's strange."

"What?"

"They're back in the oasis…but Amani never reported…"

xxx

Pumbaa's snores made it nearly impossible to sleep, although Flinchy didn't seem to mind them at all. The warthog was sprawled in a clump of grass, all four legs sticking into the air as he slept. The two meerkats were leaning against his side, rising and falling as he breathed.

Hadiya was a little uneasy about being the only one awake, but she had failed to rouse her friends. Now she was staring into the leaves opposite of her, listening to the sounds of night. Dimly she became aware of approaching footsteps. She tensed as they rounded Pumbaa's bulk and came into view.

"You're awake." The figure stated simply, stopping just short of her. Hadiya relaxed when she saw it was another female meerkat.

"Yeah…apparently I'm the only one with any sense." She chuckled. "Do I know you?"

"I'm…Amani. A-Are you Hadiya?" she asked, fiddling with what appeared to be a walking stick she stepped closer.

"Yep, that's me."

"What are you doing here?"

Hadiya could feel the fur on the back of her neck stiffen and rise. Something wasn't right. She scooted closer to Flinchy, hoping to wake him, but he merely continued to snore. "I couldn't very well perish in the desert when someone was worrying about me, now could I?" Amani glanced around them, shouldering her stick.

"No, I suppose not." She struck out suddenly. Hadiya wasn't quick enough to dodge the sharp blow to her head. Amani stepped back as Hadiya slumped over, then she delivered another blow to Flinchy. With a groan she threw the stick aside.

"I'm so getting killed for this…"


	12. Look Up

A/N alright. I'm ready to do this. I've got my Dr. Pepper and my Bambi soundtrack (which is totally the wrong music for right now), so I think I can get this entire chapter done tonight...

I think three pages is a long enough chapter for now, so I'll save the action for the next chapter. I'm sorry to say, but we'll be done in just a few chapters. If anyone has an idea that they would like to see in a sequel feel free to share it! I'm also thinking about a prequel concerning what Kesi did and when she runs away with Hadiya. Opinions anyone?

Thanks to the reviewers, as always! Of course, I want to list them: **Pichooi, MorpheusDreamer, Bloodshy Testament, SoulSingerJenna, KariGilmore, Fiona Fargazer.** We've had a few new names lately, huh? So glad that all liked it! Hopefully Morpheus was right, that it'd take a year for everyone to stop reading! Er...maybe we'l avoid that. heh heh

x x x

Timon slowed as he came upon Pumbaa in the darkness. Seeing he was asleep, he tip-toed closer so as not to disturb his friends. He frowned unhappily as he circled the warthog.

They were gone.

He did another lap, just to be sure. They were still gone. Stomping angrily he gave Pumbaa a sharp tug on the ear.

"Uhfwuhwazzat?" Pumbaa snorted, flipping over as he was startled awake.

Timon, who had just narrowly escaped being flattened, raised an eyebrow. "Pumbaa, are we missing something?" he asked, his voice low. Pumbaa tilted his head thoughtfully and shrugged.

"I don't know. Are we?"

"Oh, maybe...how about a couple of MEERKATS?" Pumbaa winced and glanced around.

"Hey Timon! Hadiya and Flinchy are gone!"

"No, really?"

"Really!" Timon narrowed his eyes at him.

"Do you even know what we were talking about?" he sighed at Pumbaa's blank stare. "Never mind, I can tell you were just having a stupid moment...Aw Pumbaa, I can't believe you did it again!"

"Did what?" he asked, standing and beginning to pace a small circle with his friend.

"You fell asleep when we thought you were watching her!"

"Oh. Sorry." he said as what he had done finally sunk in. Timon waved it off, pulling himself onto Pumbaa's snout.

"Never mind, buddy. I guess we'll just have to find them again, won't we? Gee, I wish I had come back soo-ARGH!"

Normally Amani would have laughed at the sight of Timon tumbling backward in fright, but given the situation she only watched impassively as he yelled indignantly. After a few moments he calmed down and popped back into view to glare at her.

"What are you doing popping up out of nowhere like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she stare at him for another moment then raised her eyes skyward as if seeking patience. "Hey, I'm talking to you, Armani!"

"Oh, please, it's Amani not 'Armani!' I don't make suits..."

"Whatever. Spit it out, sister, we've got things to do." Amani's face clouded briefly before she managed to look impassive again. After quite a bit of throat clearing and shuffling her feet she looked up at them timidly.

"I was supposed to draw your attention for a few minutes. I'm also supposed to tell you to look up."

"Thanks for the encouragement, but why distract us?"

"Uh, Timon...I think she meant to really _look up._" Timon followed Pumbaa's gaze to the branches high above them.

x x x

Hadiya was indeed in a foul mood. Not only had she been bashed in the head, courtesy of a very hard stick, now she was in a tree. A very, very high tree. From what could tell, she had been dragged out along a branch and tied in place with a bit of vine so that she was facing the grund far below. Flinchy, who had not yet awakened, was tied to the other side so he was facing upward.

She had seen Timon return, and all that had happened since but had not been able to hear due to the disance. A groan sounded from above her. "Flinchy?"

"Hadiya! You okay?"

"I've been better. Can you see anything?"

"...Branches...leaves...a really ugly guy off that way..."

"Pazu?"

"Yep." they fell silent, both aware of the inevitable outcome of their situation. Most likely they wouldn't be coming out of this alive. Hadiya shuddered at the thought. She really had no doubt that Timon would try to save them, but they had to face the facts.

Timon wasn't exactly a fighter.

"You think this is it?" Flinchy asked, sounding a little sad. Hadiya narrowed her eyes sternly, even though he couldn't see.

"Even if it is, I'm not going quietly." She watched breathlessly as Timon leapt from Pumbaa's head and raced toward the trunk of the tree. Amani didn't try to stop him, but instead followed him onto the trunk, leaving Pumbaa to pace the ground, looking worriedly up at Hadiya.

x x x

"You're not seriously going to do this, are you?" Amani yelled, scrambling to keep up with Timon. He turned to glare at her as he pulled himself higher.

"What do you care? You're in it with him!"

"Okay, first of all, why would I be in on it with him when I neither like him nor know WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?" Timon faltered, but continued climbing. "Besides, he pretty much forced me into it." Timon's glared disappeared and he paused to let her catch up.

"What did he do?"

"I was in pretty much the same situation as those two are now, but with no vines keeping me in place."

"Really?" she nodded. Timon considered her thoughtfully for a moment. "Amani, right?" she nodded again and he smiled. "Don't know what I was thinking. Anybody'd have to be cornered to going along with Pazu...the old fart..." Amani grinned as they continued on their way. She could tell he wanted to say something much worse.


	13. Fight!

A/N I've gotta be honest,I am severely disappointed with this chapter. It's way too dialogue heavy. However, i'm horrible at writing action stuff, soI guess there wasn't much thatI could do. Sorry if all the conversation takes away from it everyone.

I was a little surprised at how quickly everyone reviewed the last chapter. So you all liked it then? Well that's great! I'm glad you guys liked the idea of a prequel too, cause that's definitely what I'm going to do next.

Reveiwers! **Fiona Fargazer, Pichooi, SoulSingerJenna, KariGilmore, Morpheus Dreamer, **and **Bloodshy Testament**. Thanks to you all, you guys don't know how much i love you!

Well, here we go!

x x x

Hadiya gasped as the vines loosened and she dropped ever-so-slightly. She and Flinchy were both trying to gnaw through them in the hopes of helping Timon. Unfortunately neither had thought of a way to get Hadiya up onto the other side of the branch without her falling, still they continued trying to free themselves.

"I hate to think of him having to fight alone." Hadiya sighed, shifting herself to get at another vine. The vines swayed as Flinchy twisted himself around, hanging so that he could see her.

"He's not alone, that girl's going to help him. Besides, we'll be out soon enough."

Hadiya couldn't hide her frown as she glanced up at him and back to the ground below. "You mean if you don't drop me."

"I'm not going to drop you."

"Oh sure, you say that now..."

"What you don't trust me?" he asked, sounding a little hurt. Hadiya mentally kicked herself.

"Of course I do, I'm just worried about, well...everything."

x x x

Timon and Amani had finally reached the limb where Pazu was waiting for them. Neither hesitated as they pulled themselves up to meet him.

"What are you doing? For cryin' out loud, one try at them isn't enough?" Timon spat and threw his arms into the air, thoroughly disgusted with the whole affair. Pazu smiled.

"Actually, I had just thought that I'd go ahead and get rid of all of you."

"Is that so?" Timon growled, glaring at the meerkat before him. He could feel himself growing hot as his anger built itself up. After all that they had gone through it had finally come to this. "Well I'm not going to let that happen. It's you or me, pal."

He pushed Amani away as Pazu leapt at him and the two rolled away, snarling and swinging at each other. Not really knowing what to do, Amani ran after them, kicking out at them and hoping to hit her mark.

"Ow!"

"Haha! Take that!"

"Ouch...Amani!"

"Sorry Timon!" she said, backing away. She yelped as Pazu threw Timon off of him, sending the younger meerkat tumbling past her."I was just trying to help!"

"Then stop apologizing and help!" he cried, scrambling to his feet, just in time to dodge aside as Pazu jumped at him again. Amani cast about for a stick, pebble, anything she could use as a weapon. There was nothing in sight. Having nothing else to do she advanced toward the tussle. Intent on distracting Pazu, she grabbed him from behind.

He didn't miss a beat as he turned and knocked her out.

x x x

They were nearly free. The only problem now was to move without dropping Hadiya. Flinchy had hold of her with one arm as he pushed the vines away with the other.

"Okay, now I'm going to get these things off, so you'll have to hold on tight, all right?"

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?"

"Do you really want me to drop you, miss smart-aleck? I was just giving you a warning!" he snapped. Hadiya looked a little sheepish, but she stayed quiet as he kicked the vines off and left her dangling by the one arm he was holding. She squealed, tightening her hold. "Don't worry, I've got you!" he wrapped himself around the branch's end, hanging halfway upside down as he struggled to keep his hold on her.

Seeing that the branch was bending under their weight, Hadiya took hold of him with her other arm. "We have to move!"

"But there's no room!"

"Swing me! I'll grab onto the branch back behind you and climb up!" he nodded, a little unsure as he worked to get her moving. It was several frightening minutes before she was close enough to wrap her legs around the branch. A fleeting panic hit her as Flinchy loosed her hand and she pulled herself around the limb to the top.

x x x

Timon saw Amani go down as Pazu spun and dealt him a blow to the face. Without pause he returned it, stepping aside to avoid a kick.

"Oh come on! Would you just go down already?" He groaned. Suddenly Pazu rammed into him, throwing him back. They were moving farther out along the branch now and nearing the end where Flinchy and Hadiya had hung. Flinchy, seeing them, shouted at them urgently.

"No, go the other way! The other way! It's gonna snap!" Timon heard, but his opponent was much faster. Pazu's foot collided squarely with Timon's chest, sending him flying backward into Flinchy. Before they could untangle from one another and gain their feet he dashed back to Amani, knocking Hadiya aside as he went. Lifting Amani, he hurled her at the pair. They swayed dangerously before plunging downward with a snap.

x x x

Hadiya cried out as her friends dropped from sight. Dimly she was aware of Pazu looming behind her. Ignoring her tears, she turned to glare at him. "You...you monster! What did they ever do to you?"

"It wasn't them."

"...What?" he stared hard at her, as if considering what to say. Finally he crossed his arms and scowled.

"I had rather hoped I wouldn't have to explain it. You know what Kesi did."

"Yes, but that was a long time ago! Look, I know we're related. Flinchy told me everything..."

"Did he?" he asked, his voice low. Hadiya suddenly felt uncertain. He _had_ told her everything...hadn't he?

"Just what are you saying?" she asked. Pazu shook his head as if she were trying his patience.

"He didn't tell you who it was that your mother murdered?"

"Well...he was young. I wouldn't expect him to remember..." had he known? She was stung by the thought and she began to feel angry. Had he known and never told her?

"No, I suppose not." he grinned smugly, delighted that he knew something she did not yet again. "Still, it's interesting..."

"There's nothing interesting about it! It was a long time ago, it doesn't matter anymore!" she shouted. In her rage she didn't know that she was crying. Here she was being taunted with the fact that was the cause of everything that had happened.

For all she knew they hadn't survived the fall.

Flinchy...

Amani...

Timon especially...they had barely gotten started on what she had hoped would be something wonderful. Now he was gone...

She realized suddenly that she had nothing more to lose.

Pazu could see that he had gotten to her. His grin faded as he advanced on her. "It's simple, Hadiya. Kesi killed my son. Now I'm just returning the favor."

"NO!"Hadiya threw herself at him. He gave a strangled yell as they toppled over the side.


	14. Almost Goodbye

1A/N First of all, th lyrics are mine. In fact, they're partly to blame for the long delay on this chapter (I rewrote them a hundred times and still I'm not satisfied). Anyway, yeah, sorry I took so long, we've been having some family issues and hospital trips lately.

I've heard that doesn't want us thanking reviewers anymore (or something like that). Well, until it's on the main page, I'm going to keep right on doing it. I loved the reviews on the last chapter, everyone, you were definitely more pleased with it than I was. I'm always glad to give you something to enjoy.

Anyway, thanks to my reviewers: **Nala5** (Whoo Redwall!), **Morpheus Dreamer, KariGilmore, Pichooi, jla2snoopy, SoulSingerJenna, Red Squirrel Writer, SunRise19, Fiona Fargazer,** and **Bloodshy Testament! **Ten reviews! That's the most for any chapter!

I've watched _Stitch Has a Glitch _too many times, so I'm afraid that contributed to this chapter a little. I'm very happy with how Max turned out in here. I know he's crotchety and all that, but we don't often see him being nice to Timon so I couldn't help but give him a part in this.

Oh, and this is **not** the last chapter. Just to let you know...

x x x

Hadiya was knocked senseless by the impact. The force of it sent her bouncing away from Pazu and into something soft and warm. She felt something resting upon the top of her head, something that felt very much like a hand. Darkness overtook her as a familiar voice reached her ears.

"_Wake up, Hadiya..."_

x x x

No one knew quite what to say as they watched Timon pull Hadiya into his arms. Pumbaa had caught her, just as he had the other three, but she had remained quiet and still. Timon was shaking as he dropped to the ground, cradling his friend and blinking back tears.

"Hadiya...wake up..." he begged, brushing her unusual hair from her face. Tears spilled down his cheeks when she didn't respond. Sobs shook his body and he held her close against his chest. Pumbaa turned away, unable to bear seeing his friend hurt so much.

This wasn't happening. It couldn't...Timon tried to force himself to deny it. It couldn't happen now, not when she would have needed him...not when he hadn't protected her. The feel of Hadiya's limp body against his own only reinforced the thought that he was trying to push away. She was gone. He spoke softly, his face nuzzled against her neck where he wouldn't have to look...to see her like this...

"Please say something, move, anything! Please Hadiya, please! Don't...don't leave me like this. Don't leave me alone!" he wasn't aware that everyone had left him, following Pumbaa to give him space to deal with this. The realization that Hadiya had been taken from him, that they would never be together was all he could see. It was more than he could take. Timon's tears fell as, not for the first time in his life, his world seemed to be crashing down around him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he pulled away from her, his gaze coming to rest on her face. It was a little strange to him, that he would suffer so much and still she was peaceful and beautiful as she had ever been. Had she been alive it would've seemed like nothing was wrong and he was just being dramatic again.

A faint smile passed his lips, disappearing just as quickly. She probably would have given him an earful for it, or maybe just laughed at him. He could never tell with her temper.

His tears were still falling as he brought his face close to hers, so that they were nose-to-nose. He kissed her gently, for what he knew would be the last time. Holding her to him once more he sang softly, the words coming to him in the moment.

_I hear your song, your song without words._

_It speaks to me and tells me that we'll be alright._

_But now can you feel my silent melody?_

_Bringing you back to me tonight._

_I see you, you're still in the dark_

_trapped by the things that you fight_

_but I'm here, and I won't let go_

_I'll be your guiding light._

_I hear your song without words._

_Bringing you back to me..._

The words left him feeling empty as he placed Hadiya gently on the ground. He bowed his head, trailing his fingers along her face."I'm sorry. I'm sorry you searched so long and it ended like this. But I'm here, Hadiya. I'll always be here..."

Sensing a movement behind him, Timon moved away from her as Max approached. He didn't want to hear what his uncle had to say. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to like it and he was in no mood to argue. He watched from the corner of his eye as Max paused to look sadly down at Hadiya.

"Listen." he began, somewhat awkwardly. "I know there's nothing I can really say that will help you, so I'm not going to try."

_Good old Uncle Max._ Timon thought bitterly. He stepped up to Pazu's body and glared down on it, a feeling of anger rising within him. "Then what do you want?"

"I just...I wanted to check on you."

"Gee, how thoughtful."

"Look, I know you're taking this hard. It'll be long time until you're, well, yourself again. Not that I'm looking forward to it." Timon growled, kicking out at Pazu, he sent the body rolling onto it's side. Max watched his nephew stand over it, still shaking as he had been earlier. Despite his attitude he really had nothing but good feelings for the boy, but Max's short temper made it seem otherwise. The old meerkat sighed; he had hoped he wouldn't live to see another family tragedy. He paused before venturing to speak again. "It's times like this, Timon, that you remind me of your father." Timon stiffened. "He would have done anything for your mother, and that's what eventually got him. I know you loved Hadiya..."

"What do you know about it." Timon muttered, aware that his uncle was touching upon subjects he'd have rather left alone. "We weren't even sure ourselves."

"I think you were. And you'd be surprised at what I know." he gave a rare smile, but Timon's expression didn't change. He stared at his uncle, the tears that had faded sprang to his eyes once more. Max's expression soften (A/N never thought you'd see that happen, did you?). "I know you didn't run away from that fight, pup. But what would you have done if you were still up there?"

"I'd have taken Hadiya's place." Timon answered honestly without a second's hesitation. Max gave him a long, sad look and knelt next to Hadiya.

"And left her like this? To spend a lifetime grieving for the one person she couldn't bear to lose?" all of Timon's ill feelings toward his uncle evaporated. He was right, he couldn't have hurt her like that...

"You're really on top of things, aren't you?"

"I like to know what's going on with my family." Max said with a smile. He reached out, touching his fingers to Hadiya's nose.

"But...what am I supposed to do with myself? I don't know what to do..." he sniffed and wiped at his still tear-stained face, looking to Max for an answer. The older meerkat was running his fingers through Hadiya's fur, a very relieved expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Our daredevil's alive!" he said, beckoning Timon closer. The gesture was wasted, though, as Timon practically flew to his side.

"Alive? She...she's ALIVE! But how? I thought-"

"Does it really matter?" Max said. "Maybe if you were a little more observant you'd have noticed she was breathing while you were blubbering over her. Wait here, I'll go tell the others." once Max had gone, Timon gathered Hadiya into his arms, holding her out far enough to see her face.

"Wake up, Hadiya..." she furrowed her brow, the movement so small he barely saw it, but it was enough. He laughed out loud, leaning to kiss her on the forehead. "I can't believe it...thank God..."

"Uh...mama..."she squirmed a little in his grasp, looking up at him blearily.

"No, not your mama, but I hope your still glad to see me."

"T-Timon! Wha?" she winced and tried to curl herself against him.

"Better not, you fell a long way. You could be hurt." he could here Max returning with the others now. Hadiya threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to kiss him.

Pumbaa's voice rang out above the rest of the group, putting everything into just one word.

"Beautiful!"


	15. Happy Ending

A/N here it is. The last one. I'm sorry if it seems like a weak ending or anything like that, but I really couldn't decide what to do with it.

Thanks for reading everybody, especially those of you who've been with me awhile, i couldn't have finished it all if you guys hadn't liked it and kept comig back.

Here's the last reviewers: **Fiona Fargazer, Pichooi, jla2snoopy,SoulSingerJenna, Nala5,SunRise19, and KariGilmore**

Thanks especially to **Morpheus Dreamer and Bloodshy Testament**, you uys are great!

The first chapter of the prequel is also going up tonight, but there's no title yet. You should be able to find it through my profile/bio page thingy.

Thanks again to all of you!

x x x

Hadiya wandered along the path, her steps somewhat stiff from being unused to walking. It had taken her a few days to convince Osono to let her take a walk, despite Max declaring several times that she was perfectly fit now. She appreciated their taking care of her, but what she really needed now wasn't healing, it was time.

For the first time since she had awoken she was really thinking about what had happened. She had lost control of herself. Throwing herself from a tree, what on earth was she thinking? It had gotten rid of Pazu, but was it worth the pain she nearly caused to everyone?

She stepped off the path, at the same cliff where she had fallen asleep while she was talking to Timon just a few days earlier. Glancing around to see she wouldn't be bothered, she settled herself onto the same stone. She was very glad Pazu was gone, but in the back of her mind she realized it.

She had done the very thing he'd said she would.

"He was right..." she murmured, burying her face in her hands. A rustle moved through the grass behind her and she glanced at him silently as he joined her.

"No he wasn't." Timon said softly. She didn't look at him, but crossed her arms looking slightly angry.

"I feel so dirty. Timon...I _killed_ somebody."

"You had to do it." his voice was stern, so unlike him that she turned to look at him, quite surprised. He looked down and concentrated on his hands, realizing that he had sounded a little too much like his uncle. "What I mean is...you were defending yourself. If you hadn't done it, there's no telling what he would have done. Besides, if you hadn't done it, I probably would have killed him myself."

"You couldn't have done that, you're too kind." Hadiya frowned, her gaze set on the waterfalls that made up the middle of the oasis.

"I could too...didn't you see it? I fought!" he pouted, and a smile crossed Hadiya's face. It didn't last long.

"Timon, what if he _was_ right? I know it was self defense, but...what if really am a..." Timon scooted closer, slipping an arm around her. She didn't seem to notice and kept her gaze on the distance. "I know I have a temper, but to have actually hurt someone...even someone like him..."

"Hadiya, you're not." she pulled away, sniffling.

"But what if I _am?_" she said a little angrily. "I know, I _had_ to, but the fact remains that I still did it. Timon, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget this." she sighed and went quiet for a moment. "Maybe...maybe I should just go..."

"What?"

"I need to get away from here. Once the colony finds out what happened, it'll be worse than it was before. I won't be able to stay here."

"That's not going to happen." Timon said. She turned her head to look at him, wondering vaguely what he meant by it.

"Timon, I don't want to cause you guys any more problems."

"What problems?" he shrugged, as if the idea was absurd. "Look, Max has already decided that we're going to keep this from everybody who doesn't already know. So far everyone thinks he was watching for us and fell out of the tree on his own." this didn't seem like a very believable thing, but some meerkats have a tendency to believe what their leaders tell them, believable or not. Hadiya was suddenly hopeful at the prospect of staying.

"So, no one's going to bring it up?"

"Nope."

"And what about Amani?"

"She's been let off on account of being forced into it. And no, she's not telling either. You're free to mingle with society without worry."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"So...so you think everything will be okay after this? I mean, all that stuff he spread around?"Hadiya asked, biting her lip worriedly. Timon smiled.

"They'll forget it all soon enough." she brightened instantly and this time the smile stayed. "It'll be great, just like home!"

"It _is_ home!" she jumped up, pulling him with her and they began dancing together around the tiny clearing of the cliff edge, spinning about and laughing. After a moment they stopped and Timon pulled Hadiya to him. "So, you're staying. With me?" he asked. With a laugh she kissed him and hugged him closer.

"Of course."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." neither of them spoke anymore. After all that had happened it was enough that they were there together. The setting sun cast a warm glow over them. Hadiya smiled into Timon's fur.

Things had never felt more perfect.


End file.
